Stuck in the future
by Prime's sparkling
Summary: There is a war out there. Most don't know of it because of the government, but it exists. Jessie and her family are living in it, until one night when a strange light sucks them out of their world. Now spat out 300 years into the future, they must find where they belong in the universe, while fighting the war between the humanists and the mutants with the help from the enterprise.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hey everyone, so just as I promised, here's a new story that I have been working on for a while now. It plays more in the TOS universe than it does in the reboot, but I wanted to put it in here because it can be seen as playing in both worlds so take it as you want it. The story isn't completely finished yet which is why I am telling you now that I do not know when I will be able to update, so just bare with me please. this is a teaser chapter for you all to enjoy. if you want more, please review. **

**PS: I do not own any of the characters except for my OCs.**

**-Prime's sparkling**

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**CHAPTER 1**

**THE KIDNAPPING**

"_Oppression is no excuse for vengeance - for murder. I wonder... does the death of innocent people - cut down on the streets as they flee - free you? I think not"_

_ -Charles Xavier (Earth-616)__, X-men_

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**March 2013**

Everything was dark. Pitch black as far as the eye could see and silent save for the angry grumbles in the sky and the bullets pelting the roof above their heads. Many had long since run seeking cover from the storm. Others had even chosen to make use of the entertainment in the middle of the plot of land. The circus tent was old and worn down, with faded colors still able to be seen in the hide like cloth that created its outer shell. An old, rusty and brittle looking sign hung from the top of the entrance where lively music could be heard coming from. Across it, the words Circue du Freak, was neatly carved and painted in, with warm colors faded with age from the years that had gone by. It was an ancient structure but it did its job to stop the storm. The worst they had in a while. A little further away but still under the upset eyes of the dark clouds op ahead, Jessie sat in the carriage she had known for a reasonably large part of her life and stared longingly out a small window stained with the sky's running tears. She sighed and stared towards the tent for a moment. Life at that moment seemed to hate her, but then again that was her emotional opinion to the situation. With another heavy sigh, this time in annoyance, she rolled her eyes as amusement washed over her in a metaphorical wave. She knew the emotion was not her own and silently turned to face the boy resting on one of the hay stales that served as a bed, a thick and wooly quilt pulled up to his lap.  
"Not helping Phoenix," Jessie murmured, mind full of the other occupant in the train car who slept on another hay bale with a sleeping bag drawn up to the neck.  
"You should learn to relax more Jessie," he chuckled running a hand though his hair. It was a warm honey color and curled where it touched his ears and neck, "It's your day off."  
"I wouldn't have to sit tonight out if Melisa hadn't gotten in the way," she growled angrily, making sure he could feel it as well. The cocky smile on his face dropped.  
"I thought you hated the lime light," Phoenix asked warily.  
"I do," Jessie sighed and sadly gazed at him, "but if I had stood firmly that night. If I had refused to swap with Mellissa and went on like I was supposed to..."  
"You would have died," He argued back vemously before realizing that he had raised his voice. He took a deep breath to calm down and threw off the quilt to move over to her bale. Settled against her he continued in a softer tone, "you could have died, or maybe you could have lived, maybe someone else could have seen the man with the gun and stopped him before he could fire."  
"What's your point Phoenix?" She asked with a brow raised in confusion as she snuggled against his side.  
"My point is that no matter what decision we made, something would have happened," he sighed lightly and kissed her hair softly, "it was not your fault. These things happen, as sad as they are, and they happen for a reason."  
"Then what was the reason for Melissa to die?" Jessie asked in a whisper, feeling a sense of comfort and love wash over from Phoenix and wrap itself around her in a blanket of emotion. She gripped the front of his black jacket and fought to keep the tears at bay.  
"I don't know," he replied and tenderly stroked her hair. Outside the wind howled in sympathy and pushed against the long lone train on the tracks, " whatever the reason was, it properly only made sense to god."  
"I thought you didn't believe in god," Jessie asked with a bit of a smile as she peered out of the window again. She noticed the moving shadows that could only have been people coming to watch the show in the tent.  
Phoenix chuckled, "I don't , not really anyway."  
"Then what do you believe in?" She asked pulling her gaze away from the outside world to look into his large creamy irises.  
His full lips pulled taunt for a moment as he thought how to answer, "I prefer to keep an open mind , but sometimes we all need someone to blame without hurting the feelings of those around us."  
"If you don't believe in god," Jessie asked cheekily, "then how do you explain our existence?"  
Phoenix smiled, "Evolution of course."  
"Is that your only explanation?" Jessie asked eyeing his soft lips.  
Phoenix smiled and lowered his head to hers, "yes of course, how else would you explain how so many creatures share similar characteristics and why so many subspecies' popped up out of nowhere."  
"I don't know, why don't you tell me," Jessie smiled and sighed happily when he gently molded his soft lips to hers. He groaned lightly when she shamelessly ran the tip of her tong over his bottom lip and slipped his arms around her petite body to pull her closer as he opened his mouth to her. Needing to breath, they gently pulled away and Jessie rested her head into his chest.  
"We went completely off topic again," she said but didn't sound angry about it.  
"I know," he chuckled fervently and rested his chin lovingly on the top of her head, "but seriously, you can't keep things bottled up like this Jessie. It's not healthy for you."  
"I know," she said in an almost whisper, "I just wish everyone would stop trying to treat me like glass."  
"Uncle Mario is only trying to do what he thinks is best for you," Phoenix chided, "he doesn't want to see you hurt. Give him some slack."  
"I know," Jessie nodded before she noticed movement in the sleeping bag the other occupant was resting in, around the area where the feet would be. It was almost like someone was flicking their feet against the material. Jessie chuckled and with a quick kiss to Phoenix on his lips on last time, she stood.  
"Lucca's waking up," she said and without waiting for a reply crossed over the room to where the very young boy laid. Kneeling by the side of the bale, she watched as consciousness pulled him from his sleep. Lucca stretched like a cat pulling an old teddy bear that had been under his arm when he slept with him. Falling slack onto the make shift bed again, he looked up at Jessie with a lazy smile.  
"Morning Jessie," He said with a loud yawn.  
She chuckled, "It's evening kiddo."  
"It is?" The six year old stared at her with his little brows lifting into the superman beanie he wore in confusion.  
"Yep," Phoenix said still sitting on the hay bale as he flooded Jessie with amusement, "you slept right though the afternoon remember?"  
"Oh yeah," Lucca smiled and rubbed the back of his neck, "I had to sleep because Uncle Mario gave me very hard exercises to do and they made me tired."  
"That's how you know they work kiddo," Jessie smiled before helping the small child out of his sleeping bag. They settled quickly into their usual routine of helping the small child out of his angry birds pajamas and into a shirt and pants and taught him to tie his shoes. Once finished they packed all their things into the old backpack which laid on the only desk in the train carriage.

Jessie settled herself back against Phoenix and let out a deep breath as he wrapped a warm arm around her waist. She looked up, seeing Lucca nervously watching them and gently rubbing his right arm.  
"What do you want kiddo?" She asked and he snapped his head up in surprise.  
"How?" He breathed slightly in shock, "how did you know I wanted to ask something?"  
"Because that's her supper power," Phoenix chuckled then laughed full out when the smaller teen promptly punched him in the ribs. Meanwhile Lucca pouted and stamped his foot as he folded his little arms over his chest.  
"That's not Jessie' power," the six year old huffed, lowing his brows over his grey eyes with a heavy glare.  
"Really?" Phoenix laughed, "then what is her power?"  
"You should know what her power is," Lucca chided, making Jessie laughed at Phoenix's facial expression as he realized that he was being reprimanded by a child and on he meant to baby sit no less, " you're her gemela."  
"Hey," Jessie said as she stood between the two, feeling Phoenix's anger and protectiveness towards the idea of somebody taking what was his away, "he knows that Luc, he's just kidding with you."  
"He was?" Lucca asked, suddenly sensing the tense atmosphere. He looked over at Phoenix with a sheepish look on his face, "sorry Phoenix."  
"It's okay," he murmured. Phoenix hurried his face into Jessie's neck and drew in a breath, making her shiver at the sensations. She pushed him away.  
"Cut it out, we're in mixed company," she chided before turning back to their charge, "what is it that you want kiddo?"  
"Can we go to the tent?" The six year old asked, "I wanna watch tonight's show."  
"Are you kidding me kid?!" Phoenix gasped in shock, "it's raining fucking cats and dogs out there."  
"Phoenix!" Jessie scowled, "what did I tell you about the swearing?"  
"Not too?" Phoenix chuckled and ducked when she attempted to slap him.  
"Well if you're going to be like that then we are going," Jessie scowled and looked over to Lucca who was looking like a kid on Christmas and at the same time looked downright horrified. Phoenix rose a brow, having seen it as well.  
"What's with the look?" He asked and the six year old jumped before pointing a finger and Laughing at him.  
"Phoenix said a swear word," he replied like it was the most obvious thing in the world.  
"Yeah so?" The teen raised a brow but Jessie could feel the dread that slowly was working its way up inside of him, like there was something he needed to remember desperately. She smiled secretly.  
"Now you gotta put money in the swear jar," the boy continued, "and Jessie said that if I was a good boy, I would get all the Money in there."  
"What?!" He turned to his gemela, "that's so unfair, he can't do that."  
"Actually he can," Jessie snickered, "the deal was at the end of each month the person who said the least amount of swear words got the money in the jar, and so far he's said the least so he's in the league."  
"Dammit." Phoenix muttered then felt like slamming his head against a wall as he realized what he had done.  
Lucca chuckled at his expense, "he swore again!"  
With a grudge, Phoenix let it slide and gingerly pulled out some worn bills from his pocket. They never really did get much spending money from their jobs. Sighing as he got up, he gently dropped them into the large jar on the table at the back of the room.  
"So not fair," he murmured and pulled on his sneakers.  
"Then maybe you should try not swearing," Jessie chuckled and rose from her seat on the hay. She packed Lucca's things into her back pack and dutifully ran her hairbrush though her hair.  
"Come on," Lucca called and bounced over to the rail doors. Silently with humor flooding the bond they shared, the two elder teens followed and hurriedly the three ran for the tent.

They were soaked by the time they got inside but it had done little to setter their raised spirits. Inside circue du Freak, it was the complete opposite of what it looked like outside. Warm, rich and bright silk hung from the high ceiling along the walls and behind the stall benches that everyone sat upon. The circle in the middle of the room was painted in a dark brown, and the black padding used mostly by gymnasts covered the inside instead of the straw which was used by most circuses. In the front, a large curtain had been drawn shut, a rich dark purple and red color with the circus name engraved across the wood on the beams that held everything up. It was warm and gave the atmosphere a welcoming yet mysterious feel. Jessie closed her eyes for a moment, and allowed the homey sensation to wash over her. Checking to the side, confirmed Phoenix doing the same while Lucca looked around in excitement. Knowing what the six year old wanted, she simply nodded and with shriek the boy shot off as fast as his short legs would allow him to the curtain. He dived behind it after a moment Jessie began to follow as the current act ended. A hand on her wrist stopped her gently and she faced Phoenix with a raised brow in question. He simply smiled at her but the feelings and thoughts he sent over their bond clued her in to what he wanted. She blushed and allowed him to drag her behind the benches with a racing heart.  
When they later stepped into the back stage area behind the curtain, Jessie's face was a flame as the whistles and playful cat call reached her ears. They had straitened themselves out to their best abilities, but her flushed face and kissed-to-death swollen lips, and phoenix's ruffled up hair told a tale they could not quiet hide from the others.  
"Really you two," Anna Michigan remarked rolling her eyes as she chewed on the stick of gum she always seemed to have on her, "going behind the benches for a roll in the hay again?"  
Jessie smiled and rolled her eyes as she felt Phoenix's pride and ego inflate, "careful Anna, his ego's already taking all the air in the room, any larger and we'll have to breathe in gas masks."  
Anna laughed softly, her eyes twinkling in mirth and Jessie joined her as she felt the boy huff both physically and through their bond.  
"Everyone's a critic," he murmured under his breath and crossed his arms with a pout as the girls he had known for years laughed at his expense behind their hands.  
"I'm afraid you did walk into that grave on your own squirt," a bulk of a man thundered with a booming laugh as he approached them, the soft smell of the cigar he had just smoked hanging into his clothes like a robe of lavender. He had dark, nearly black hair that seemed to have a mind or its own and a slight crink in his nose that he seemed to share in common with Phoenix.  
"Uncle Mario," Phoenix smiled and left his gamela's side to paddle over to his uncle's side and gave the man a hug that forced the air to leave his lungs. Mario Varraso had been stunning in his younger years, handsome and very strong with square shoulders and muscle in his frame from all the years work of setting up and working at the circus with his brother but time had made him wary, his bones slightly more brittle and the grayness had long since began to take over his dark hair, despite his attempts at dying the color repeatedly. The man ,et out a large puff of air as his teenaged nephew crashed into him with a speed and force that would have hade wrestlers proud. He laughed again as he wrapped his arms around his charge and hugged him just as tightly.  
"It's good to see that somebody missed me while I was gone," Mario chuckled as he pulled away from the boy to look him in the eyes. There was a chorus of 'here we go again' and 'now he's done it' from the people around them and Jessie giggled at the sight as Mario's face scrunched up like he had to sneeze at them.  
"Oh shut it you lot," he called back but there was no real malice in his voice. It was their thing, everyone who worked in the circus knew each other well enough that they were like family, no they were family. Jessie smiled softly at the thought as she basked in the warm glow the people she was surrounded by offered and drowned out the sound of the show going on outside for a moment.  
"What are you still doing here uncle?" Jessie asked as she curled her fingers with Phoenix's when he came back to her side, "I thought you had that important meeting to go to in New Jersey."  
"I am lass," he winked at her as he straightened his shoulders, "but I wanted to wait until after the show, there's something I must talk to you two about before I leave to deal with the burocrates on the other side."  
Jessie looked over at Phoenix, their confusion filling each other as they shared a worried glance and gave the aging man a firm nod.  
"Sure uncle," Phoenix said, and heard the music on the other side of the curtain begin to dwindle down as the performance drew to a close, "we'll be there"  
"And if it's cold we'll come wearing bells," Jessie joked and smiled as the rest of the group burst out laughing at her lame attempt at humor. A bell struck somewhere outside and their uncle jumped as though he had just remembered something.  
"That's my cue," uncle Mario wrapped an arm around each of them before he started for the soft drapes that separated them from the world, "Come see me after the show at my cabin."  
"I better get going too," Anna murmured and flicked away some lint on the lavender colored leotard she wore as she waddled over to the line of girls wearing the same clothing as her, "I'm on next."  
"Break a leg Anna!" Phoenix called in encouragement and to his shock the girl turned around and glared daggers at him, "What?"  
"Mm, Phoenix you do know that the last time you said that to someone, they actually broke their leg," Jessie smirked as felt him nervously prowl around her mind to see the memory she spoke of.  
"I don't mean it like that," he said eventually with wide eyes, making the two girls laugh.  
"Alright you three, you can giggle together later," Mario remarked sarcastically and ignored Phoenix's insulted cry that he did not 'giggle' as he moved away from the tent, a heavy deep bass being to play from the speakers outside, "Anna you're on."  
"Oh right," she said as she quickly scurried off to join her group. Mario waited silently for a moment, before he kneeled down to their heights.  
"There is much to discuss," he said placing a hand on each of their cheeks to allow them to feel his familial love for them, "and yet so little time."  
Jessie felt Phoenix's alarm slice though her and it matched her own as they had never seen the man in such a state. Phoenix allowed the man to feel his worry briefly though the small link he had opened before he spoke, "what is it uncle? Are the humanists causing trouble again?"  
Jessie watched as the man hesitated for a moment and opened his mouth like he was about to answer, but whatever he had to say was cut off by one of the vender sellers calling him to help them. He gave them a tense look and reached into the long trench coat that he wore, before he pulled out and handed them a thick A5 sized leather bound book that had long since seen its better years.  
"The clan libro?" Jessie asked, "but what?"  
"Just keep it safe," Mario said as he shook his head. He stood, intent on helping the others and called over his shoulders, "I will explain later, I promise."  
"What's going on Phoenix?" Jessie asked as she watched her uncle's retreating figure disappear behind some crates.  
"I don't know," He ran a hand though his curly locks, "but it has something to do with the humanists. I just know it."  
"Just know what?" Lucca asked as he trotted up to them, shoulders sagging slightly now that the excitement had worn off.  
" don't worry about it squirt," he sighed and patted the boy on the top of his beanie covered head, smirking when the boy huffed and smacked the offending appendage away, "you done chatting up all the girls now kid?"  
"Hu huh," Lucca gave them a toothy grin before he noticed the book in the elder boy's hands, " what's that?"  
"It's a clan libro kiddo," Jessie explained as they walked out the back side of the tent, stopping only long enough to put said book into her back pack, "you do know what that means, right?"  
"Hu huh," Lucca nodded and flipped his hoodie to cover his head from the rain, "Uncle Mario said that they are special books written by people like us long ago, with special rules we have to follow if we don't want to get into trouble."  
"It's not just rules kiddo," Phoenix said as he took the younger boys hand, eyes flicking around to scan the area warily. It was still dark and the rain seemed to have let up slightly from the harsh storm it had been earlier, but close to where their train car stood were the figures they had seen earlier. He felt a dark shiver run down his back and felt Jessie flinch next to him as she felt the apprehension flow over from him. Shaking his head to ward of the feelings he curled his hand into a fist and jammed it into his pocket, "it has all our history and tells us what makes us who we are, And why we are like that."  
Jessie remained thoughtful while they talked. They knew it was because her own family 's journal had been destroyed years ago. As they neared the end of the cover the circus tent provided, she scooped up their charge and the three made a run for the cover of the trees which would take then to their home on the rails.

For a moment, Lucca remained silent, content to simply hang onto Jessie's slim frame despite the fact that he was already six and a quarter years old, before he asked a simply innocent question, "Jessie, why are we so different from everyone else?"  
"Yeah why are you different freak."  
Jessie tensed and felt Phoenix's anger as the group they had spied before made their way over. A tall boy stepped out from the group once they were close enough, obviously the leader of the gang. Then was well built but not overly and appeared very healthy and well fed. His hair seemed to be a light color, though it was difficult to say which shade in the bad light. In his hand was a glass bottle half full with very expensive beer. And brand that could only be found overseas.  
"It's illegal to steal you know," Phoenix growled with narrowed eyes when he saw the train door nest to their own wide open with the broken lock on the floor, "that does not belong to you."  
"Of course it's mine, ain't I right guys?" The offender gave a smug look as his friends all let out noises of agreement, "I bought it myself?."  
Jessie felt Lucca tighten his hold on her and she bared her teeth at their rudeness, "we don't sell any alcoholic beverages and they don't use that brand in this country."  
"Then why do you have a stash full of the stuff right here?" The leader asked again as his group started to speak out in a circle around them.  
"Leave," Phoenix said calmly as he pushed the door to the cart closed, "before I call the cops."  
"I don't think so, freak" the boy grabbed the door before it could fully close and flashed them a cocky smirk, "you and I both know that won't happen, them coppers would take one look at ya and kill you just for breathing our air."  
"No one can own air dumbass," Jessie snapped with more bite than she really intended and heard Lucca fearfully wimped against her with his head tucked into her neck. The leader threw his bottle at them. She didn't think as she saw the glass heard her way, as she tightened her hold on Lucca's frame and simply willed her body to change. Gasps went around as the bottle smashed against the animal stalls behind them, having traveled harmlessly through their bodies.  
"Did you guys hear that?" He asked looking to his friends before giving her a look that made her want to grate her skin off, "this whore just called me stupid. She actually thinks this world is for freaks like them"  
"What a stupid freak," one boy with braces surrounding his face sneered, "the only good thing you are for is to die."  
"Don't even think of it," Phoenix growled as he pushed himself between them, "and don't call her a whore. She's more faithful than most of your fugly girlfriends who would rather sleep with a six foot pole than see your ugly faces."  
He never even felt the first hit against his face, or when he hit the ground, but he felt the kick that was aimed at his ribs and the flash of pain from Jessie when they knocked her legs out from under her and sent her tumbling into the mud, still holding a now screaming Lucca. The rest of the group joined in on the unfair fight and all hell broke loose. Unable to defend themselves Jessie heard Phoenix curse as he crawled over to them, taking damage to the ribs and his back and curled his frame around them protectively. Jessie forced Lucca to the bottom of the pile and tried to aid her gamela in taking the hits instead. She heard someone shout, but wasn't sure who was who as another kick to her side sent her screaming with the little boy beneath her, but then her attackers were gone and they could only lay there and recover from the pain. Warily she pushed herself up from under Phoenix's weight and urged him to do the same when she saw what was going on around them. Their attackers no longer seemed as strong anymore as the old man, clearly in his sixties, kicked them across the grounds with surprisingly practiced ease. The man's soaked clothing did not even seem to matter to the man as he defiantly blocked an over eager punch from the leader of the group that had attacked them and countered with a punch of his own that sent the teen sinking to his knees gasping for breath. Seeing their leader fall, the other three glanced at the other four on the floor before taking off with their tails figuratively between their legs. Jessie could only stare in amazement. She felt Lucca push at her to get up, still sniffling from the scare he had been put through moments before as the man made his way over. The three teens raised themselves to their feet and ineffectively tried to wipe off the mud from their clothing, completely battered and bruised.  
"Ya kids alright?" Their savior asked and Jessie nodded before wincing when the movement pulled on a spot on her forehead. She raised her fingers to the spot and felt her stomach churn when she could just make out the dark fluid that could only be blood coating them. She jumped when a blue handkerchief was offered in front of her face and looked up at the man in shock but warily accepted the help.  
"Thank you for the help Mister," Phoenix said as he stretched out his fingers, feeling one to be swollen but not broken.  
"Not a problem lad," the old man smiled, "ah cannot believe what audacity doe's boys have attacking a bunch of kids fer no good reason."  
"Humanists tend to be like that sir," Jessie grimaced and continued to push against the cut on her forehead, "I'm just glad you came to help when you did or it might have been worse."  
"Like ah said, "The man shrugged, "it ain't ah problem. Ah was just taking mha little grandchild ta come see one of da shows, and my Lil' Lenore don't like violence at all. No way am ah gonna stand Der and let harm come ta another."  
"You're watching the show in the tent?" Phoenix asked as he kicked some of the muck off his shoes.  
The man nodded and suddenly bounced forward slightly on his heels. Jessie looked down, suddenly noticing the little girl hiding behind her grandfather's legs. She wondered where the child had been hiding during the fight, but shook it off and took a closer look at her. The girl looked to be about the same age as Lucca. Her cheeks were rosy and freckles had painted themselves across her nose. Her ginger hair was tied in a loose pony tail and came up to her mid back. She startled.  
"Are ya okay?" Lenore asked pointing at their messy forms, "DAT looks like it hurts."  
"We're better now," Phoenix said gratefully, "thanks to your grandfather. The show for tonight was sold out earlier today, but we're more than happy to help you get some good seats for no charge."  
"No we couldn't," the grandfather shook his head, "ah didn't save ya from doe's hooligans just ta skip da line, we can come back ta morrow."  
"No it's quiet alright, "Jessie said with a smile, "you went out of your way to come help us, it's the least we. do to repay your kindness. Besides our coworkers would be delighted to let you in, they'd even let Lenore ride and pet some of our traveling animals."  
"Can we Grampa?" Lenore asked tugging on the man's trousers eagerly, "Ah want ta pet the animals please."  
"Well when you put it like that," the man smiled warmly and flicked up the hood on his long jacket to shield himself from the rain despite him already being soaked to the bone, "how can ah resist. Mha name is Carmon. John Carmon."  
"I'm Jessie," she said softly, before pointing to each of her companions in turn, "This is Phoenix and Lucca. It's nice to meet you sir."  
"Come on, we'll take you inside for now, or you'll miss the show," Phoenix said softly as he scooped up Phoenix into his arms and pushed the carriage door closed, eyeing the four teenagers lying face down on the floor in the mud.  
"Don't ya wanna first get some dry clothes on?" Mr. Carmon asked and eyed their torn apparel. Jessie shook her head and glanced into the darkened sky, noticing the first signs of thunder appear across the top of the clouds, moving from one side to another.  
"No thank you Mr. Carmon," she replied softly, "besides they always keep some extra clothing in the tent for cases like these."  
"OK then," the man smiled again, and bent down to take his grandchild's hand in his own, "lead on."  
Jessie smiled and moved to fall into line behind Phoenix. Only to find her whole body frozen to the spot. She couldn't move anything. Not her arms or her legs or even her head.  
"JESSIE!" Phoenix yelled as panic seemed to overtake him, "I can't move!"  
"Neither can we," Mr. Carmon put in as he jerked, trying to break out of what ever had a hold on him, "what's going on?!"  
Jessie fought harder against the bounds. She tried to will her body to change and when that did not work began to panic.  
"Jessie look," Lucca called as he clung to Phoenix like a monkey, "it's purple."  
"What are you talking about?" She yelled.  
"The bounds holding us lass," Mr. Carmon managed to turn his head, through the strain was easily seen in the red flush that ran across his face, "dey're like purple beams comin' from the sky."  
Jessie looked and noticed it for the first time how the water from outside was no longer touching her skin even though the storm had since picked up again. The droplets ran off of whatever was holding them in small purple rivulets to the floor and she noticed that four remaining attackers were stuck in the same situation as them. Them the neon lights appeared and began to cover them one by one, causing then person inside to disappear when it faded away into nothing. The people on the floor were first, followed by Mr. Carmon and his granddaughter. Jessie forced herself to turn as the light harmlessly began to engulf her and looked up into Phoenix's frightened and horrified eyes.  
"JESSIE!"  
"PHOENIX!"

Unknowing to the group even as dark skies filled with secrets poured on and cried in anguish to the loss it had just received, the show at Circué du freak due to a close and people scattered for their cars to avoid the grieving skies anger, having no knowledge of the events that had just occurred so close to where they had been enjoying the wonders of talent people had to offer. At the mouth of the tent, Mario stood worriedly as he waited for his missing family members to return from their carriage to speak with him...


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

**THE LOST SHIP**

_"No one's ever really disabled, as long as they have courage!"_

— _Chip Chase, Transformers G1_

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_**Star date 2313.8.23**_  
_Captain's log star date 2313.8.23_  
_We have recently entered beta quadrant 885-453 as part our five year mission of which we have only started 6 months ago. As per my reports there have been no disturbances which have allowed us to travel so far in little time. Beta quadrant 885-453 lies on the outskirts of our known galaxy and very few ships have explored this area. Our duty is to gather as much information as possible on the sector and meet any new space faring species we come across. These are our orders from star fleet command._

Jim kirk jumped when the com link in his office sprang to life with an irritating beep, before he turned off his log with a simple command and reached over to answer the call.  
"Kirk here," he said with his usual cocky smirk in place.  
"Captain," Spock's monotone voice was slightly distorted from the com. Link, something Scotty was still working on to fix and some of Jim's smirk faded away, "scanners have picked up something adrift in space."  
"Are you sure it's not some space debris from a nearby planet?" Jim asked as he rubbed at the bridge of his nose.  
"Negative Captain, the closest planet that we know of that is inhabited lies 8.735 light years away from our current position. The chances of it being debris from there is unlikely," Spock explained and Kirk heard someone talking in the back ground as well as some shuffling, "radar shows it to be a vessel of some sort."  
"I on my way Spock, go to code red," Kirk said and closed the channel. He shuffled out his office in excitement at the prospect of finally doing something other than sitting in his chair and gazing into the vast openness for months as the alarms blared and flashed. The top of his mouth buzzed and his fingers itched for a fight as he entered the elevator that would take him to the bridge. When the door slid open, he happily greeted everyone and settled himself into the captain's chair as he looked over at his first officer.  
"Put it on screen," he orders and with a few yes sirs, the view screen zoomed into the object they were heading for.  
"It appears to be very ancient, yet there seems to be technology we have no knowledge of," Spock explained as he came to stand by his captain's side.  
"Ah don't recognize thaa layout either," Scotty added from his position at the engineering station.  
Jim nodes as he processed the information. He looked over at the screen. The ship in question was tiny compared to the enterprise, yet the sleek build it had suggested that it was designed for speed and not war. The metal had long since most its shine and it seemed to dent in a few places where meteorites had struck it.  
"What about life support?" He asked as he eyed it.  
"Scans show stable atmospheric conditions inside, but no signs of life, captain," Sulu said from his chair as he glanced into the eye piece which had appeared over his station.  
"Engineering?" Kirk questioned as he stood and ordered the helm to drop out of warp, feeling the slight shudder that followed as the ship drew to a stop.  
"Seems to be some sort of warp system but like nothing ah've ever seen before captain," Scotty ran a hand through his orange curls and glanced over the ensign at the consoles shoulder, "there's some sort of energy source at the center though ah don't know what it is."  
Kirk thought for a moment and ran a hand through his hair, "Alright then, what are the risks for beaming across?"  
"Look's safe enough Captain," Scotty said and seemed to bounce on his heels, which surprised Kirk. While the genius engineer had always been full of energy when he worked on the ship, the young Captain had never really seen him so excited. He had to consider though. The enterprise had seen no action since they had left Space dock several months earlier, and even he could feel the swirling excitement that wrapped itself around each member in the bridge who looked up at him in expectation. Even Spock whose eyebrow had lifted into his hairline, something he did when he was fascinated by something.  
Jim cleared his throat, "OK we'll be sending a team out to scout the ship. I would like for Mr. Scott and Dr McCoy to join us in the transporter room as well as Ensign Harbel. Mr Spock, you're with me. Mr. Sulu you have the conn.  
"Ey eye sir," Sulu called respectfully as he rose from his seat, another pilot taking his place directly after as he moved to sit in the Captain's chair. Satisfied that everything was in order, the Captain left the bridge with his second in command and chief engineer in tow.

"Dammit Jim, we were doing so well," McCoy waved and snapped a hand held atmospheric generator onto his belt before checking that his medical kit was all up to his expectations, "I don't even want to think of all the injuries were going to comeback with this time considering the amount of time we've spent without any landing missions."  
"Dr you're logic still seems to elude me," Spock said as he wrapped the sling of his tricorder over his shoulders, "it is illogical to attempt to predict an outcome without physical evidence to base your theory upon."  
"Shut it you green blooded hobgoblin, I wasn't talking to you," McCoy snarled, and Kirk put a worried hand on his arm.  
"You okay Bones?" Jim asked and turned his friend to face him, noticing the tension that lined his friend's face.  
"You know I don't like transporters Jim," McCoy grumbled as he walked over to his spot on the machine.  
Kirk chuckled softly as his eyes mirthfully looked over his friend, "sorry Bones, we can't risk it, we don't know if the ship will come apart at the seams or if there's some sort of danger hidden inside. Beaming in will be quicker and safer to do"  
"I know that," the grumpy doctor said as the other members of the team joined him on the platform, "just know I'm not happy about this."  
"Ah lighten up Bones, " kirk smiled, knowing that his friend wasn't really that upset, despite his immense dislike for transporters as he was sure to regularly point out, "besides it could be fun and every one might actually come back in one piece."  
When he heard no real reply aimed back at him other than some mumbled insults, Jim grinned and stepped onto the platform, pausing slightly to make eye contact with the engineer working at the trans warp console, "energize"

The hull of the engines where silent when the lights from the beam faded away, leaving the team from the Enterprise in complete darkness when they arrived. The two extra security they sent down with them immediately had split from the group to check for danger as Scotty lifted his tricorder to scan the artificial atmosphere.  
"Life support is stable sir," he called out after a moment and with pleased sighs, the group lifted the masks from their faces. The air inside was stuffy but breathable and some of them chocked when the smell of something stale covered their noses like a blanket. They fumbled in the dark, unable to see where they were going until they managed to find the flash lights they had brought with them. The inside of the ship looked no better than the outside. Many of the walls were covered in rust and over some of the beams hung broken power cords which sent occasional sparks fraying to the floor. One of the exterior plates was knocked inwards from an asteroid hit and the team prayed that it would not give in while they were there.  
"What in the name of all things holy happened here," Scotty asked as he scanned the metal closet to him.  
"That is what we're here to find out, Mr. Scott," Spock reminded him Bedford he turned to his superior officer with his eyes gleaming in fascination, as he read off readings from his tricorder, "the metal this vessel is comprised of is not in any of our data banks. It is made of an unknown element."  
"Be sure to get some samples of it then Mr. Spock," Kirk called as he stepped further into the ship, "how old is this ship anyway?"  
"According to my readings, this ship was constructed over 400 years ago," Spock replied as he bent down to scrape some non-rusted fillings into a glass tube he had kept in his pouch.  
"Then everyone would probably be dead then, " McCoy put in as he followed Jim, deciding to take one of the other stairwells and explore.  
"Most likely," Kirk called back deciding to switch over to his communicator instead of yelling across the starboard, "but I'm more concerned about that energy reading the enterprise picked up earlier. Mr. Scott, where did you say it was again?"  
"Should be right above us Captain," Kirk rolled his eyes at his engineer's excited tone, "some of the machinery is fairly crude, but lot of it we could implement into owe own ship fer improvements."  
"You have my permission to take it apart once we're done here Mr. Scott," Kirk said warmly as he crouched to slip through a doorway... Only start grasping for whatever he could possibly reach when his boot slipped on something every slimy. He hit the floor hard and lost his grip on his communicator and flashlight, sending them skidding into the darkness with a whoosh. Winded, Jim picked himself off the floor and pulled a face when he felt his hands become covered in the same goo he had slipped on in the first place. Finding his flash light had been easy, it had rolled under a door way ark with the beam pointing back towards him and he scooped it up with little as he rubbed whatever had had fallen in on his trousers. With his good mood still in place, he began the tedious search for his communicator.  
"Captain?" Spock's voice asked from somewhere within the room where he had found his flashlight, "Captain are you unharmed?"  
"Yes Mr. Spock," he called into the dim light, beyond pleased and grateful to have something to guild him back to his missing equipment, "just slipped that's all."  
"Have you found anything yet about what this thing is or who might have used it yet?" He asked intent on finding his communicator. He barely glanced at his surroundings as he bent down to retrieve it from under a table that had been wielded into place. He grimaced as he wiped off the purple goop that covered it and his fingers and most of his trousers.  
"I have located what seems to be some sort of system main frame control," Spock replied as the Captain straightened from where he had been crouching, "I am currently waiting on Mr. Scott to aid me in analyzing what exactly the machinery is."  
"Very well. Report to me once you've made some more information. Kirk out," he made a show of closing his communicator and jammed it into his belt as he took in his surroundings. He immediately regretted not having me one so sooner. The room was fairly small but big enough to move around in. The walls and floors were rusted and splattered with the goop like a violent murder had taken place and had been left behind for someone else to clean up. The Dirtied equipment and strange looking scalpels that lined the walls and wheeled trays gave him the impression that time room was used as a lab of sorts, but what drew his attention were the two tables which laid side by side with enough space for two people to travel through in the middle of the room. Or rather the things that occupied them. He could guess that the one closest to the wall had been part of the species that had originally manned the ship. The Carcass was old and looked humanoid. The two heads were joined together by the back of the skull and neck and the creature had thick leathery skin that had weathered away slightly over the years of decay. It had a massive body length but the length of its arms and legs told Jim that the creature preferred to climbs things.  
It was a strange sight to see, but what really made him ill was the body on the second bed. Of course it was only a skeleton, with ancient and nearly fully decayed tissue, but even without fancy equipment and scientists Jim could tell that the tiny carcass had once been a breathing human, and by its size and shape could only deduce that not had been a child perhaps in his or her teens when they had died. He suddenly felt the urge to vomit.  
"Jim," McCoy snapped over the communicator, drawing a very grateful Captain out of his nauseous dole, "I think I've found what used to pilot the ship..."  
"Let me guess two heads; leathery skin and some reptilian and ape like qualities?" Jim said as he stepped out of the room, mind full of the goop this time as he did, "and let's not forget the purple goop which I assume was once their blood."  
"I take it you've seen one of them," McCoy said after a moment of silence, "and before you ask; the other corpses you might happen to see are defiantly human."  
"I know, the one in the room I was in looked like it was still a child when it died," kirk rubbed a hand across the bridge of his nose, suddenly feeling tired, "is there anything you can perhaps tell me about what these creatures are?"  
"Without an autopsy?" McCoy grumbled, "only that they are nearly 300 years old and that they died of system shut downs."  
"OK then that leaves the question of where the humans came from, Earth did not have any form of warp drives back then and with the hydrogen based ships they had back then they were restricted to earth's solar system," kirk turned down another passage, and poked his head into the rooms as he went, seeing more bodies in almost every one of them, "Mr. Spock, have you and Scotty found anything with that computer?"  
"We got it up and running Captain," the Scottish accent sounded hurried and Jim could hear some shuffling in the back ground, "the system's old but still way ahead of us."  
"We are currently sending the information within the memory backs to the logistics team aboard the enterprise for deciphering," Spock's voice wavered through the device in his hand, "I have not heard anything from ensign Harbel and the two security ensigns as of yet Captain. Shall I have Mr. Scott radio them in?"  
"No that's alright Mr. Spock, I'll do it myself Kirk out," he adjusted his communicator slightly, "ensign Harbel report."  
"Harbel here sir," the black hair man sounded slightly stressed and Kirk had a feeling it had to do with the bodies they had found, "nothing really to report other than more bodies, ensigns Roberts and Kutchen from security are with me. We're heading to investigate the energy source we picked up from radar."  
"Wait for us outside the chamber, Me and Dr McCoy will meet you there," receiving a confirmation, Kirk sent a quick message to the doctor and closed the communicator once more.

The chamber had been larger than they had expected in the end. Accompanied by all his team save for commander Spock who still worked on sending information to the Enterprise, Jim found the same expression stitched onto his comrades' faces was they looked around. The room was filled with metal pipes each about a meter in diameter which traveled from the floor and touched the ceiling. There were several of them and many even had other machinery at the base. Jim had listened to Scotty's possible theories of what their purpose was with a mild interest. It would not have been a part of the central core as none of it was connected to the engine. Any other way, he had explained, would have been a waste of energy. There was the plausible clause that the tubes had served as a way to store any extra energy in case they ran out of fuel, but then it would have been better suited to have had them placed near the engines themselves as they offered better protection in case of a firefight. Kirk had even joined in on his theories and became slightly distracted, unaware of ensign Roberts who was walking perilously close to a low hanging wire that had fallen from the ceiling as he inspected one of the tubes.  
All of them jumped nearly out of their skins when the red shirt gave a shout, arms failing in the air as his boots got tangled in the wires. In an attempt to stop his fall, he swung out, and caught onto one of the consoles, activating it by the touch screen. Unknown words flashed across the screen in red before it blinked green and with an amorous clank, the tubes around them began to shift. The screech was horrifying and caused everyone in the room to wince and turn away as the room was bathed in a pale blue light. Kirk waited for the ringing in his ears to go away and looked up once it cleared away, horrified at what he saw, even more so than when he had seen the rotted corpses.  
"My god Jim," McCoy said as he ran over to the closest tube to run it over with his medical tricorder that he had kept in his away kit. His face pales into a shocked look when the tool in his hand gave a soft beep, "this one's alive."  
"As is this one, "Scotty said and pointed to a tube by him, which was filled with the glowing blue liquid that gave room its faint shine and a human boy who looked to be around the age of sixteen or seventeen years. Kirk guessed him to be around Chekov's height and he seemed very skinny for his age, lean and with a charming face framed by honey brown hair that came to his mid back. As he floated in the tube, he wore a pair of black jeans that were torn at the knees with some dark sneakers and a grey jacket. Kirk couldn't help but notice that the teen's back seemed to curve outwards as though he had a very large lump hidden under his clothing. Or the fact that the boy's fingers and legs had begun to twitch. Kirk took a step back and flipped out his communicator when it beeped in warning, "kirk here."  
"Captain several life signals have just popped up on line," Sulu said warily over the device, "is everything alright?"  
"Everything's alright at the moment Mr. Sulu," Kirk said firmly, "inform the transporter room to prepare for a beam up."  
"Right away captain," Sulu murmured before signing off and kirk had put away his futuristic device when the hunchbacked boy in the tube's head suddenly swiveled to the right, as though he was looking directly at the girl that floated in the tube by Dr McCoy. She looked pretty with long white hair that framed her cheekbones and drifted across her lips and nose. Her skin was pale and she looked to be around the same age as the first boy, although she was at least a head shorter than him. she wore a pair of blue boyfriend jeans with the bottoms tucked into the twentieth century flat top sneakers that she wore. She wore a blue angry birds hoodie and a back pack completed her look. And just like the boy, her head had turned to face back at him. A moment like this passed and then their chests began to move simultaneously, trying to draw in air. They chocked and began failing around, stocky first and then more fluidly as they tried to gasp for air. And like their prayers were heard the fluid in their chambers began to drain out into the bottom.  
"My god," McCoy turned back to the girl, "they're waking up. "  
"All of them are," ensign Harbel cried as the fluid begin to drain out of the other tubes as well. Once dry the glass that had trapped them lifted into the ceiling, leaving them and all the others sputtering in an attempt to get oxygen into their fluid clogged lungs. McCoy was upon the girl in seconds, scanning her over with a tricordèr and looked up with an alarmed look in his eyes.

"Jim we need to get them to the medical bay if you want them to survive this," he said solemnly as he turned the girl onto her side to allow the fluid to better leave her lungs, "their lungs are still full of what ever in the name of uncle SAM they were floating in!"  
Kirk nodded as McCoy pulled out his communicator, "I need a direct beam to the medical bay, I have several critical patients waiting. Have all medical staff be alerted and informed immediately."  
Kirk watched as they disappeared in a flurry of lights and with a shake of his head turned back to the remaining crew.  
"Alright," he ordered, "let's get back to work, find out where that energy source has come from and why could we not detect those kids before."  
He watched as they scrambled to try and find the answers but in his heart of hearts he could not have cared less about it the ship as his mind drew over to the first two he had seen in the tubes and the way they had simultaneously turned to one another like they shared each other's minds...

* * *

The pain in her head was the first thing that Jessie became aware off when she woke, as well as the presence in her mind. It bounded at the edge of her mind scape, begging to be let in and she was tempted to give flip it the bird and tell it to buzz off. But she could feel its desperation, almost as if it were her own, as if it were afraid that she was going to die, and she let it in. It settled in quickly, reassuring itself that she was still working in one piece before withdrawing to the edges again despite how she secretly wished for it to stay a little longer. Jessie resisted the temptation to roll her eyes and thought how Phoenix could be such a drama queen when he wanted to be. when she felt his resentment to her thoughts she literally rolled her eyes and decided she had been asleep for long enough. For a moment she laid there and simply felt, not knowing where she was. The material under her body was soft, yet itchy and it smelt clean and sterile. Even through her head ache she could make out the soft and steady beeping from the heart monitor above her despite her not feeling any of the patches on her skin that would connect her to the machine. There were voices in the room that she did not recognize, but they spoke in soft soothing tone to someone nearby. Jessie's mind drifted off again as she wondered exactly where they were. She thought back to the last thing she remembered, fighting though the fog in her half asleep brain as she tried to stir up her memories.

The hands that caught her when she shot up and nearly out of the bed were gentle, but Jessie cared little as she glanced frantically around the room.  
"He's over there if you're wondering," the female voice above her said softly and her head turned in the direction the voice implied. She calmed slightly when she saw Phoenix in a bed of his own next to her and winced when she saw that he had been placed on his back, knowing how uncomfortable it was for him. She knew he was awake and for the moment it was enough. She scanned the room for a second time, gritting her teeth at the pain in her neck, only relaxing when she noticed that Lucca was on the bed on the other side of her where a gentleman dressed in strange medical scrubs spoke softly to him as he rested in the sheets. The man appeared to be in his mid-thirties with many worry lines across his forehead and face, showing to her that he had had a difficult life in the past. His hair was short and hazel in color and his eyes were a warm ocean blue that softened as he spoke to the child. She jumped when the hands on her back shifted, and hissed when pain shot down the back of her spine.  
"Sorry," the blond that held her murmured softly, "but please lay back down, you shouldn't be up."  
Jessie allowed her to guide her down and was grateful when she rose the top portion of the bed so that she could at least sit up and look around.  
"Where am I?" She asked warily wishing that she had something to drink to stop her voice from croaking. She started to cough but no sooner after the first three were out was a cup placed against her lips. She choked slightly when the liquid slipped through her lips at first but then she was gulping down the cool water like her life depended on it, and became aware of two things very quickly. The first being the protective feelings that were washing over from Phoenix's side of the bond and the second being the second set of hands that had come to help support her. She looked up with wide eyes.  
"Where am I ?" She asked the man that had been talking to Lucca a few moments earlier.  
He smiled gently despite the professional mask he had in place, "you're aboard the U.S.S Enterprise. My name in Dr McCoy."  
She nodded and stiffly reached up a hand to rub her head.  
"Are you in any pain?" McCoy asked and while she was not sure if she could trust him, she nodded any way. She faded out his conversation when he explained something to the nurse that had been by her side - Christine- to fetch her something for her pain. Now that her previous panic had subsided, she could give the place a once over. It was obvious that she was in some sort of hospital, the monitors and smells of disinfectant pointed it out for her. What did surprise her though was the fact that the bed she and all the others her comrades laid on levitated off from the floor with no stand to support it. And that she had never seen any time of device like the one the doctor held in his hands.  
"What is that Dr McCoy?" She asked politely, taking the swallowing the pills that Christine gave her when she returned.  
"This is a tricorder," he explained as he ran it over her, "it will tell me exactly where you are hurt Miss Jessie."  
Jessie snapped her head towards him. Her heart filled with horror and over a decade's worth of mistrust filled her.  
"How do you know my name?" She asked blankly, feeling the reassurances from Phoenix over her bond. She sent him fear back and welcomed it when he wrapped himself around her mind in comfort.  
"Easy," She heard McCoy mumble with heavy Southern accent, "I heard it from junior over there. First thing he did was start screaming for you when he woke."  
"Oh," she said relaxing slightly. Thought entered her mind as she gave the room a good sweep, "What year is it and how did we get here?"  
"My Captain will explain everything in a moment when he gets her," McCoy said softly and writ something into the board by her bed, "rest for now."  
When he left, scanning his eyes warily over the monitors over Phoenix's bed, Jessie wondered if they knew about his 'lump' yet but a brief flash of fear from his side told her told her otherwise. She laid back against the mattress, and thought through the panic in her mind, settling down to try and help Phoenix to calm down slightly, and think of a plan, before she realized that sure head forgotten to ask the question that had been bothering her, "exactly what was the enterprise?"

* * *

McCoy didn't know exactly what to do as he stormed into his office and flopped into his chair having given his nurses firm orders to call him when another patient woke up and to Direct Captain kirk to his office when he arrived. He rubbed a hand over his forehead in frustration and kept it there for a moment. When the doors swished open again, he'd did not have to look up to know who it was and sighed.  
"You called Bones?" Kirk gazed worriedly at his friend.  
"We've got a problem Jim'," McCoy said standing, "some of the kids we rescued are awake."  
"Are they alright?" the captain asked frowning.  
"They're alive and will live," he waved off and picked up a data pad, "my problem Jim is that they woke up not knowing what year they are in or where the deckings they are. The one child already had a full out panic attack when he woke and the other is showing signs of Post-traumatic stress as it is ."  
"Well then we will just have to explain everything to them and hope for the best," the blond said with an encouraging smile.  
"Is that all that you have at the moment?" McCoy said with a growl and threw up his hands, "Jim those kids have most likely lost everything they have ever known when they were grabbed and now they wake up in some place they don't know. How in the good almighty's name are we meet to tell them they are in the future and everyone they had known as dead?"  
Kirk remained silent, not knowing how to answer that. A few minutes past and Kirk opened his mouth to reply. He wasn't able to.  
"What in the seven levels of hell?" McCoy asked as he opened the door to his office to see the commotion that was occurring by the bio bed containing one of his rescued patients. The boy was roughly a head taller than Ensign Chekhov and his body was healthily plump. His dirty gold hair came up to his middle back and his eyes were a spoiled azure color. And he was screeching in absolute horror as he pulled his arm from where it was in the air.  
"GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!" He roared, trying to scramble off the bed as he raised his fists, "WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE? WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?"  
"Hey!" Kirk yelled pulling his arms up in a placating manner, "Easy, no one wants anything from you other than to help."  
"FUCK YOU," the boy screeched whirling around to face McCoy who had been in the process of picking up a tranquilizer hypo from a nearby tray, "AND DON'T TRY ANYTHING!"  
"Calm down," the doctor said simply but it only seemed to anger the teen further.  
"WHY THE FUCK MUST I CALM DOWN? WHERE AM I?" He roared raising his arms as Kirk called the security from a nearby communicator. So focused on the panicked teen, all of them failed to notice the hunchback boy lying next to Jessie move and fiddle with something by his feet, "WHO ARE YOU..."  
The blood splatter the boy's broken nose offered when the sneaker went sailing into it was fairly impressive and all of them were surprised to see the first boy from the tanks sitting up on his bio bed with his arm stretched out and one ancient socked foot missing a shoe. The panicked teen was obviously not impressed.  
"The fuck is your problem, you freak?" He yelled as his hand flew to his face, eyes narrowing in anger.  
"I have a problem with men raising their hands to a woman," the hunchback boy said calmly and dropped off his bunk to lumber unstably across the room before either McCoy or Kirk could stop him. It was obvious that he has in a lot of pain as muscles that had relaxed in suspension for years were forced to work for the first time in a long time by the way his face pinched for a moment before he took a step.  
"Are you alright?" They heard him ask as he stiffly bent to be lower to the floor and stepping around the bed they were shocked to see nurse Chapel laying sprawled across the floor.  
"Christine!" McCoy barked as he helped her up and moved her hand away from her face. His eyes darkened when he saw the forming bruise across her cheeks and he turned back to the hysterical child with a new light in his eyes, "you're going to calm down and then you're going to listen to me kid or so help me I will have security restrain you and then hypo you into oblivion."  
"FUCK YOU MAN!" He roared and even Kirk could only watch as the honey hair colored boy pulled off his remaining shoe and threw it point blank at the teen's head, knocking him unconscious. He bloodily flopped back onto the biomed and all pairs of eyes turned to the other boy.  
"Was that really necessary?" McCoy asked and the teen could only stiffly shrug in response.  
"He was irritating," was his witty reply and Kirk could not help the smirk that graced his lips when he gazed over at the scene. He realized how much of himself he could see in the child, just by looking at him, and felt a little sympathetic when he looked into young hazel eyes which were guarded from the world and filled with dark skeletons. His were more than often the same after his experiences on the planet Tarus VI when he was a child. They were not really memories he wanted to remember. He could not help but wonder what exactly the child had gone through to have built such defenses.

"Still doesn't give you any damn reason to go about hitting my patients," The boy only smirked and made a scramble for his bed once the Doctor had a good hold on him, "And you shouldn't be out of your bed yet."

* * *

Jessie fought it with all her being but the smile that came onto her lips was stronger than her will at that moment. She looked over at Lucca who had managed to sleep right through all the commotion that had gone on and rolled her eyes. Jerking slightly, she forced muscles that had barely moved more than a few centimeters in a long time and pulled off the blankets that were covering her. She was still wearing the clothes she had been wearing the day of the fight although her back pack had been pulled off. She noticed it laying innocently in the tray under the shelf in the counter next to her bed. Forcing her ancient sneaker clad feet to move, she shakily got to her feet, swaying as gravity came back to say hello and shivered when air hit the skin that showed by her ankles where her pants and socks met each other. She flinched when Christine placed a stabilizing hand on her arm despite the pain the woman must have been feeling in her face, but allowed the woman to help her over to Phoenix's bio bed where she sat with the familiar touch of his arm around her.

"You know that this is not really allowed," Doctor McCoy scowled crossing his arms, "you have been assigned your own bed for a reason."

"It's alright for now Bones," the Blond man she had noticed enter not long after the good doctor had previously entered what she assumed was his office. He was around the same height the boy that had attacked them was with blond hair that was more yellowish than it was white. Dressed in a golden tunic, black slacks and dark boots, Jessie guessed that he was in his late twenties. He also seemed to radiate leadership, "I think we can leave them here at least until introductions have been made."

McCoy looked like he wanted to argue for a moment before he gave in and nodded. Jessie was very grateful and took a deep breath as she sunk back into Phoenix's warm hold and more importantly, the warmth he radiated over their bond, returning the Strength she had been needing as she did the same in return for him. Nodding, Jessie glanced back over at the man in the golden tunic curiously.

"My name is Captain James Kirk, Commander of the USS Enterprise," he said.

She smiled slightly, "I'm sure the doctor already told you, but my name is Jessie and this is Phoenix."

"Exactly what is the Enterprise Captain Kirk?" Phoenix asked interlocking her fingers with his own. He was not rude in any way, merely curious as he questioned the man, "And what year is it?"

"Well Phoenix, the current year is 2213," Kirk chuckled, although they sensed that he was trying to not overwhelm them with the information all at once, "The Enterprise is a space ship. Our prime directive is to explore the cosmos and meet new species."

"2213?" Jessie chocked. She shared an uneasy glance with her Gomela and through her bonds with Phoenix she could feel him also slowly putting together the pieces.

Next to her he shivered and found the floors more interesting as he spoke, "The last thing I remember was those weird lights that took over us that night."

"When was this?" Doctor McCoy shared a glance with his companion did not go unnoticed.

"June 2013," Jessie ran a hand through her dirty white hair, "Which is nearly 300 years ago."

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions you want to ask?" Kirk murmured and Phoenix shook his head softly.

"What going to happen to us now?" He asked coldly, but Jessie knew it was because of the funny feelings he was experiencing over the bonds. There was something wrong with them. Something was missing.

"At the moment, we have been given orders to explore into deep space that has of yet not been entered by any of the federation ships, so we won't be near any star bases for a long time," Kirk explained placing a hand on her shoulder. Guarded eyes regarded him.  
"What happens when we go to the space station?" Phoenix asked warily.  
"Starfleet will take you into custody until you have adjusted into the era and can survive easily enough," McCoy said and Jessie found herself nodding.  
"What about the others?" She asked quietly, glancing around. She took note of how empty some of the beds were and the way Lenore was shaking in the bed across from hers, "I don't remember much, but I know there were at least five other boys that were trapped in those beams."  
"Most of them didn't make it," McCoy explained glancing between them, "the shock was just too much for their bodies to handle."  
"How many died?" Phoenix asked but his tone was no longer as cold as it had been previously. McCoy glanced at Kirk but he was not able to reply before they were cut off by the cries from the small girl in the bed across from them. Stiffly, the aged doctor marched to her, trying his best to calm down the distressed child that screamed for her grandfather. Nothing he did seemed to work and a brief flash of panic brushed over Jessie's shields from the doctor as the child's readings on the monitor above her went haywire.  
Jessie pushed herself up and lent on Phoenix as they walked over to the other side of the room. Ignoring the doctor's reprimands, she tucked a loose strand of hair behind the girl's small ears.  
"Lenore?" She whispered. It had the effect she was looking when frightened doe like eyes met her own.  
"Jessie?" Lenore asked and the teen smiled softly even as she felt Phoenix move behind her.  
"Yeah I'm here," she whispered holding onto the frail hand closest to her.  
"Don't forget about me," Phoenix chuckled. Jessie elbowed him in the ribs  
"Not helping," she growled before helping the child slowly sit up after her unknowingly long sleep, "Don't worry, your safe."  
"Where's my gram paw?" She asked tearfully and Jessie glances up at McCoy in question.  
"He's over there," he gestured to where they could see the man sleeping through the door way. Jessie could not help but gasp and she felt Phoenix freeze up behind her when he caught sight of him as well. The man that had rescued them the first time that night from a group of humanists had been strong with broad shoulders built like a soldier's, but at that moment he seemed like he had aged several hundreds of years in a matter of moments. Well a moment to them and about 300 years in the living world. His once smooth skin had wrinkled to the point that Jessie could make out distinct valleys that covered his fragile bones and had become see through. The criss cross of veins and arteries that came over his body were darkest around his eyes which had a whitish tint to them and they pulsed weakly in time with the strange monitoring device above his bed. 'He's blind,' she realized quietly.  
'And awake' phoenix agreed over their bond. She stretched out on the bed beside Lenore and helped the girl work out her stiff muscles. A deep silence descended but it was not meant to last.  
"Lenore?" Mr. Cameron's head turned weakly to the side, blind eyes searching for something he would never see again, "ma baby child, you der?"  
"Gram paw," she clawed at Jessie's hoody desperately and with tears in her eyes looked up into the elder teen's eyes. Understanding, she helped the seven year old onto her feet, grateful to Captain Kirk when he put up an arm in front of doctor McCoy to prevent him from stopping their actions. Weakly, Phoenix followed her but stepped back to allow Lenore the privacy to speak to her grandfather.  
"Lenore," Mr. Cameron whispered. He raised a shaky hand for her to take, smirking softly when it dwarfed her smaller and much stronger one, "stay strong fer me little one an know that ah love ya."  
"What's going on Gram paw," Lenore asked, but the older man was no longer focusing on the child. Instead, his lifeless eyes were locked onto Phoenix's hazel orbs as though his sight had never been taken from him.  
"Lad, Phoenix was it?" He asked and receiving a sharp nod and yes from him. Jessie watched over in curiosity when the old man reached over coughing, "ah need ya ta promise me dat ya would look after ma Lenore."  
"You want us to take her in, but you barely know us," Jessie replied.  
"Lass ah saw the way ya protected that littlin ya look after," the old man wheezed a bit and it took a moment before he could recover and continue to speak, "ah know ma Lenore would be in good hands. So will ya?"  
"Yes sir," Phoenix nodded and allowed his voice to drop a few decimals as he made his vow, "I'll look after her as though she were one of our own."  
Above his head, the monitor began to pulse and scream as the elderly man's vitals dropped below what was the norm.  
"That's all I ask," John Cameron managed to rasp before his heart gave way and stopped beating. Jessie knew he had taken his last breath when his chest deflated and refused to continue to work. She felt her eyes begin to water when she watched Lenore spring from her spot in panic and begin to scream. To her, it was a little too close to home. She grabbed the eight year old when she began to struggle and firmly hugged her to her blossom. It was no easy task as the child kept on failing around and was blinded by her tears. She struggled for a moment longer before going slack and Jessie looked up to see the good doctor holding the remains of what was left of some strange looking needle. She shivered.  
"He's dead," McCoy murmured but Jessie had already known that when she had seen the way he had stopped breathing, for there was no mistaking it when she had seen a far similar sight a hundred times over in her lifetime. She nodded and allowed the medical staff to take her new ward back to her bed. When the doctors came over to her side to help her to her own, she glanced up at Kirk who smiled encouragingly though sadly.  
"Looks like we have a lot to learn about this era don't we?" She asked and the older male shook his head.  
"We'll make sure that you get everything you need," he offered out a hand to help Phoenix, who took it after a moment's consideration, "you are safe here."  
"I hope so," she murmured as the captain bid them a farewell and walked out. She glanced over at her and Phoenix's new ward and Lucca who slept on innocently without having awoken to the events that had just transpired, "I certainly hope so."


End file.
